One day in Wonderland, Alice abruptly realizes that she isn't "Alice". Distraught, the girl runs away & refuses to be involved. She takes a chance to forget Wonderland but with consequences. And yet Boris is determined to make things right.

Leaning on his elbows, Boris peered into the pool of elixir to watch Anjelica prance around with her friends. What are you doing? Stop pretending! he wanted to yell at her, but it wouldn't be any use. She couldn't hear him. She didn't even know that she was being watched by a boy with cat ears in a world different from hers. Frustrated, he rubbed the temples of his head, not noticing that the door had clicked open, nor the two boys sneaking into the room. They tip-toed their way across the floor, careful to not make a single sound. Dee eyed the tail that was furiously whipping itself back and forth, and once they were close enough, he lunged for it, while his brother tackled Boris.

"Nyaaaaa!" the cat yelled, trying to shove the twins off of him and away from his tail. "Leggooooo! For the last time, you can't have my tail!" he groaned, his face thrown onto the ground. He felt his boa being tied around his wrists and was roughly yanked up onto the twin's shoulders.

"Sorry Boris. We can't let you stay in here forever," Dum said in a deep voice. They had transformed into their adult forms in the seconds Boris couldn't see them. "It's boring without you," complained Dee, looking back at the punk teen.

"Yeah, plus Nightmare begged us to get you out of the tower. He was tired of hearing your thoughts each time he came close to you. He says you depress him or something." Dee added as an afterthought, "It was something like that, but he was busy trying to sneak away from Gray, so he was trying to be quiet."

Both of them shrugged their shoulders, causing Boris to shift his weight. "Well, he kind of promised us some new toys if we did what we were asked," Dum said. Dee nodded and said, "Mhm! And they're supposed to be real shiny."

Unbelievable. They were bribed. Successfully, Boris thought. "Well, okay then... where are you taking me?" he asked, curiosity leaking into his voice. They were headed through the front doors of the tower, and stepped out into the warm evening air.

"We don't know yet," they said in unison. "But we were thinking we could try out one of our new toys with you. But then Nightmare said try to not let you get killed, so he might take them back," Dee said, with Dum interrupting and saying, "Well, we know it'll be Gray who'll take them away. Maybe we can try them out on him?"

"Uh..." Boris could not come up with a response.

"But we might let you go, if you give us that," Dum said, pointing to Boris's striped boa. Glaring at the guy, he refused to give it up. "I think I'll keep it and deal with whatever you have up your sleeves."

"Alright, Boris. Just remember that you said we could whatever we want," they both said.

Off they went, marching into the woods separating all the territories. Once they arrived at the Hatter's residence, Dee and Dum unloaded Boris from their backs and set him against their couch. By now, they transformed back into their child forms.

"What do you have in store for me?" the cat asked the twins. They glanced at each other and shrugged once more.

"Actually, we have no idea. All we knew we were supposed to get you out of Clover Tower, whatever it took," the boy in blue said. His twin nodded and said, "Mhm, but we do know we want to play. What do you think brother?"

Dum was in the middle of thinking when the door was slammed open, with Elliot stomping his way into the room. "Where are you brats? Sneaking off while you're on duty!"

"Stupid rabbit, we're taking a break!" one of them yelled. The hare's face turned red, with his ears twitching. "I AM NOT A RABBIT!" He immediately yanked his gun out of its holster to threaten the twins. In retaliation, the twins pulled out their axes and started charging towards Elliot. The March Hare blocked Dee's hit and slid out from under the head of Dum's axe, trying to defend himself. Boris sat on the ground for a few seconds, watching the three go at it, and started to get up to join the chaos, when the Mad Hatter strode into the room and looked back and forth from the twins and the hare. Sighing, he turned to Boris, who froze in the half standing/half crouching position, to ask him what was going on.

"Oh you know, the usual. Dee and Dum called Number Two a rabbit," the Cheshire cat said, his eyes on the fight.

"Ah, of course. Why would it be anything else," the mafia leader muttered to himself. Raising his voice, he said, "Elliot, I want you to stop. Now. And boys, if you fight anymore, I will severely cut your earnings."

The twins stepped back from the hare and frowned, pouting. "Aw, that's not fair! We don't want 'em cut."

Elliot froze when he heard Blood's voice, turning around to find him. "Blood! These kids weren't at their post! I was only trying to tell them to get back to work!"

"Hey, hare, the incubus told us to bring out Boris. It's a good enough reason for us," said the boy in red. Blood raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. The bagworm gave you a job? I just might have to have a talk with him." He smirked.

"Elliot, let them go for now. Whatever that incubus wanted he will get." The mafia boss rubbed his head, exhausted by his household. "And I want you to get me some of my tea."

The March Hare's ears perked up. "Alright Blood! I'll bring some of my carrot biscuits to go with it too!"

Blood's face turned blue, weakly smiling. "Er, actually, I think I'll pass on those." He inched his way towards the door. "Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my study." He paused. And please, no one need me." With those last words, he dashed off to his room. Right on his footsteps was his second-in-command, who was shouting that he should eat something. The three boys were once again left alone in the Bloody Twins's room. Boris grinned.

"It's never boring with Elliot around."

"Stupid hare, always bothering us. Even more than usual," Dee muttered, still looking at the door. "At least he's with Boss now."

"Mhm, annoying rabbit. Let's go somewhere else then." Dum straightened up, turning towards the window. "Boss will probably stay in his room for a long time now. He's been gone from the mansion a lot lately, just wandering around"

"But where do we go?" Dee was puzzled. They had strict orders to stay away from Clover Tower, and they had visited the Amusement Park just the last timezone. Annoying Joker would be a fantastic idea, if they wanted to be thrown into a cell. It was a tempting idea, but nevertheless, one that they wanted to avoid. That left only one place.

"Brother, how about Heart's Castle?" Dum asked. Dee nodded excitedly, with a spark in his eyes.

"Good idea brother! Maybe we can play a game with the guards there! Whaddya say Boris?" Dee turned around. No response.

"Uh... Boris?"

The cat was fast asleep, slumped over the couch, with his upper body lying on the cushions and his lower body hanging off the arms of the couch. He breathed in deeply, eyes closed, boa hanging off of his back. The tail was resting against his legs, falling onto the floor. The twins had glanced at each other. Time to play Catch the Tail.

"It could be our new treasure," whispered Dee to his brother who nodded in agreement. They had aways coveted the cat's pierced tail. It was just so fascinating to them. Both boys took small steps towards the cat. When they were a few inches away from it, they leaned forward to grab with their hands and-

"Touch my tail and you guys are dead," the voice from the cushions said. The twins frowned. "Aw, but Boris, why not?"

"Because I said so," came the reply.

"You're no fun. Come on brother, we can have more fun playing with the Castle's guards." The boys in red and blue left the room, anticipating some adventures and victories. The cat was left slumped over the couch, once again asleep. The fact was that he was exhausted. He hadn't slept for a while, and it was taking a toll on him. To be staring at a reflection in a pool was not healthy, and it had shown. Usually, he would be wandering about Wonderland, finding his own adventures to waste his time. But all he's been doing was watching over his... his...

What are you to me? You aren't my lover; you hate me. You're not even my friend, for the same reason. So why is it that I want to watch over you? And really, what are you to me? In the past, you would blush and try to come up with something if I said we were lovers. I miss it.

I miss you.

Boris's thoughts took a turn as he fell into a deep sleep. It was a dream that Nightmare wouldn't appear in.

.~.

"Boris! Where are we going?" The blond asked him as he pulled her along. He glanced back, grinning.

"Hold on, we'll get there soon," he assured her. They were going through the forest, beyond the Amusement Park. He could sense her apprehension, for she had never been in this part of Wonderland before. "You'll like it."

"Eh, okay..." She was intrigued. Boris always found the best spots for anything.

He managed to make everything special, just for her. Alice always thought she was being too spoiled, and by a cat, no less. She was not used to being fawned over like this because of her treatment in her original world. Only by her elder sister, no one else. Boris soon came to a stop, with Alice bumping into him.

"Oof! Sorry. Why are we stopping?" She peered around his back. "Oh." In their way was a log. A large, fat log, twice as tall as the two teens. It didn't help that Alice could not see where it started or where it ended. It was an old tree, with tons of bark peeling off and moss growing everywhere.

"Ah, looks like we can't go wherever we were going," she said, genuinely disappointed. Boris glanced at her face, chuckling.

"Come on Alice, a log isn't going to stop us!" With that, he started to quickly climb up the log. Alice watched him, hiding a smile. Whose to say that he isn't a cat? she asked herself. Certainly, with his limber body and his tail swaying back and forth, he seemed very catlike.

"Alice, I'm waiting." He was on top of the log already. The girl frowned.

"But I can't climb that!" she complained. "You might be able to, but I'm not a cat." She eyed the few footholds in the log. "I honestly have no idea how you did that."

Boris rolled his eyes. "You don't need to be a cat to climb. Where did you hear that?" He smiled, beckoning to Alice. "Here, just give me your hands and I'll help." He slid onto his stomach on the log, holding out his hands. The girl sighed and looked up into the cat's eyes.

"I won't let go, I promise."

She hesitated. "Alright." Alice took one gloved hand and put her foot on a stub of a branch. Gingerly, she pulled herself up. With the next step, Boris hoisted her up onto the top of the giant log.

"See? That was nothing." The cat grinned. He spun around to face the other direction. Boris jumped off of the log nimbly while Alice looked on with alarm. Landing on his feet, Boris turned back to see the blond's amused face.

He definitely is a cat, she thought. Boris tilted his head, wondering what she was thinking about. He motioned for her to come down, but she shook her head.

"It's higher up here than I thought. I can't land on my feet like you," she protested.

"Well, just slide down then." Boris was usually patient with her, but he was anxious to show Alice what he had found.

"But then I'll get splinters!" It really wasn't her fault for complaining so much. She was always such a cautious girl. He thought about it for a second, and then he lifted his arms.

"Are you sure?" She was a bit scared. Something could go wrong, since things normally did not work out the way she planned.

"Alice, we don't have all day. Just a little jump, that's it." Boris tried convincing her. "If not, I might just leave you there." She sighed, thinking that he wasn't the type of person to just leave, yet she still was worried. The girl leaned forward, to see where she would land, when her foot slipped on the peeling bark and she fell down, screaming.

"Waaa!"

She closed her eyes, waiting to feel the solid impact of the ground, but it never came. Instead, she felt herself hanging in there, suspended by a pair of arms. She took a peek with one of her blue eyes. Boris looked down at her, laughing. She tried to sit upright, only to find herself being held bridal-style.

"Ah, thank you... You can put me down now." Alice was flustered, evident by the red blooming across her face.

"Huh? Wait, no!" Alice struggled to get out of his arms, but Boris held her tightly, nuzzling her hair.

"Mmm, you smell awesome." The cat inhaled deeply. It was an addicting sweet smell. He slid his head down so that his mouth was on her neck. With just a few licks, Alice was squirming in his arms.

"Ahh, Boris?" she mumbled.

"What?"

The girl sighed. "If you're going to carry me, can we at least go now?" She knew that in seconds, his own smell would be overwhelming her and she would fall into a haze.

"If you say so." Boris started walking as Alice crossed her arms. Going through the forest was a peaceful event. Boris had actually stayed silent, much to Alice's surprise. After a while, it felt uncomfortable, so she switched her arms to be holding Boris's neck. She couldn't see Boris blush at the intimacy of her action, but she could feel the boa tickle her nose.

"Boris, how much more longer is it?" she asked the cat.

Boris replied with, "Actually, we'll be there in a just a few." Just a few what? Alice asked herself. A few seconds? Minutes? Hours? I would say days, but that's more of what Ace would do.

Boris finally came to a stop and glanced at her.

"We're here," he smiled as the blond gasped, taking in the scenery.

They were standing on a protruding rock overlooking a sparkling blue lake, with the rich green forest surround it. Alice could hear the river's playful bubbling tumble into the large body of water. She peered down, only to see that it was so clear that she could see the bottom. Where fish should be, there were birds, flapping/swimming their way through the water. Flashes of white and yellow dotted the birds, and Alice looked on with wonderment.

Birds as fish. Now that is a ridiculous concept. But I guess since there's the land fish that Boris loves so much, there has to be water birds too, she mused. But how do they breathe? I can never get used to this world, she sighed inwardly.

"So, what do you think?" Boris wanted to know.

Alice hugged his neck, saying, "It's so beautiful! Thank you for showing it to me!" It was a moment that drew Alice out of her usual cynical self and Boris mentally patted himself on the back. He gazed at her, causing her to blush red.

Boris shifted in his sleep as the twins ran back in to grab a few toys.

.~.

Day 82

What am I even doing with myself? Right now? In the future? My last year in high school is going to be coming up soon... I can't believe time is going by so fast. I just want to kind of pause things for a moment. But that's how I kind of feel... like I'm stuck at this one point and all my friends are speeding off to their own futures. I don't know, it's just seems so surreal. Sometimes, I feel like I'm blacking out, like I'm missing something important. Or maybe it's just all those late night I'm spending on the internet. I really need to limit my time on there.

Oh, and I've gotten the second game of that Heart no Kuni no Alice game! It's called Clover no Kuni no Alice. Julius and Gowland are gone and there are new characters like Pierce Villiers and Gray Ringmarc. They seem pretty interesting! But I'm working on Boris's route (of course!) It's pretty interesting... Alice is so torn up about her sister... it'd be kind of funny to be her. You know, with two sisters. Sort of.

Ah, well, got to go to school! Don't know why I felt like writing, but I feel a little better now. Just a bit.

I wrote this, hm, about a year ago? Maybe two? It's really weird, going back and rereading these things. Oh, yes, I just want to say thank you for the reviews again. I never know if I should reply to them or not, and by the time I remember, it's been three months and it's just weird. But I really do appreciate it all. Especially since they kind of serve as reminders for me (oops).

On another note, I got my Cheshire Cat Waltz Volume 2 and alsdk;jf Boris is so cute. And another thing, I'm just going to upload the dream as an oneshot, because it's alright on its own. Working on In Hollywood Hearts... it's going great... yeah I'm just babbling at this point.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.